Related Articles

Performance key to future
If you did not play to win, someone is waiting to replace you. The inexorable rule is to perform or perish at the place where you are. Your performance counts every day. There is scope for improving your standards every day.

Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu (died 1964) was one of the greatest carnatic violinists of the 20th century. Yehudi Menuhin, a world renowned violinist, was greatly impressed when he heard Dwaram play. He was probably the first to show that violin can be used to play Carnatic music and the first to start violin solo concerts when he gave his first solo concert in Vellore in 1938.

Dwaram always cautioned his disciples against missing practice even for a day. “If you don’t practice for one day, you will notice your mistakes, if you don’t practice for two days the audience would notice your mistakes!” he often said, For Dwaram “Music was an audible tapas.”

Famous singer Lata Mangeskar too echoed Dwaram’s concept of regular practice that made her one of the best singers of our times. Famous men and women persist and persevere to do things which look easy to us. No they are not as easy as it sounds. Rigorous practice of theirs creates an illusion in us. Practice in short is the essence of life.

Even the great cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is facing replacement as he ages and someone better is ready to replace him. Everything in this world ought to be replaced as time passes. Carbon paper replaced xerox machine; computer the type writer; credit card the hard cash and so on.

Let the disturbances, imbalances and setbacks you face in an organization be your source of creativity, rather stepping stone to success. You have to perform consistently through innovation which is a key factor in leadership. Microsoft comes with new versions every year adding value to organization. People want something new from Microsoft or else it knows it can’t stay in business.

Malcolm X (African-American Muslim minister and human rights activist) asserted “There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.”

You have to take control of your performances. Mediocrity in life is not tolerable as the world is too competitive. You need to bring the talent within to the fore.

Nothing can substitute performance. Forget about style; only your results matter. Harold S. Geneen rightly said, “I think it is an immutable law in business that words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises – but only performance is reality.”

Nothing is worse than nonperformance as it breaks down expectations of people. Life’s lessons learnt should lead to better performances and hope. Every performance has its beauty and charm. You cannot remain a leader without showing results. Performance is the key to unlock your future.
***